SEMO Youth Wrestling took 10 wrestlers to the ABC Beginners Wrestling (Athletic Boys Club) tournament on Dec. 15 at St. Ann, Mo., which is located in the St. Louis area.

The tournament was a round-robin style meet. Each wrestler wrestled each kid in his weight class. Wrestling started at 8:30 a.m. with Zachary Kulin. The last wrestler, Luke Lockhert, finished at 4 p.m.

Blake Nunnery, age fourteen, placed third with a record of 0-2. In order for Blake to wrestle he had to move up from 189 pounds to the heavy weight bracket because he was the only wrestler in his bracket. Blake had to wrestle kids that outweighed him 30 pounds since he was forced to move up a class.

Steven Tidey, age fifteen, placed second with a record of 1-1.

Ethan Davis also competed at the event.

SEMO Youth Wrestling also took approximately 15 kids to Arnold, Mo., for the Missouri Challenge tournament on Dec. 30. The tournament is part of the AAU Triple Crown championship.

Wrestlers who wrestle in all three tournaments: the Missouri Challenge, Ozark District Championship, and AAU State Tournament will score points for how high they place in each tournament.

The wrestler in each weight class who scores the most points will be crowned the Triple Crown Champion on top of placing in the tournament.

Notes: The head coach of SEMO Youth Wrestling is Jamie Chitester.

Classification Rules:

At tournaments, wrestlers are broken up first by age. The age classifications for kids born in: 2005-2006 = Bantam; 2003-2004 = Midget; 2001-2002 = Novice; July 1, 1999 thru Dec. 31, 2000 = School Boy; and 1997 thru June 30, 1999 = Cadet.

The second way wrestlers are broke up is by weight with Bantam kids having eight weight classes from 40-70 pounds broken up in five-pound weight classes and then any child over 70 pounds is in the heavy weight bracket, but to protect the wrestlers they group them as best as they can. The weight classifications continue all the way up to the Cadet level wrestlers who are broken up into 15 weight classes from 88 pounds all the way up to 189 pounds and a heavy weight class for kids that are over 189 pounds with a limit set at 225 pounds.

After the kids are broken up by age and weight the third way they are broken down is by experience, or rating using the following classifications: